Taji's EIGHTH Birthday and Vertical Jumpin' Celebration!

Taj the EIGHT year old. He's compassionate, clever, eloquent, quite the story-telling, can't quiet his brain to go to sleep at night, night owl, super analytical, sensitive, anxious, still shy at first but then giggly social soon after.  He's a big reader, big vocabulary-user, and obsessed with all things Minecraft.  He's funny, likes to put on shows, he's dramatic (hello drama queen!), and he's a comedian.  He can be lazy, messy, prefers sweatpants over jeans and flip flops over shoes.  He's a big meat/eggs protein eater, sushi lover, and still a major snuggler at night.  He still plays musical beds and ends up in our bed almost every night!

May Moments, Mom-Sons Prom, and Memorial Day

Dino event in Erie, PA that Taj and his buddy Chase attended together

Mom and Sons adventure day at Clifton Hill (Niagara Falls- Canadian side), where visited birdies at Bird Kingdom, walked past the dinosaur miniature golf, and ate at Rainforest Cafe.  It was fun on a warm-ish Spring day but we spent more hours in the car driving there and back!

Bemus Elementary Parent-Child Prom put on by the PTA.  I loved having two handsome dates escort me to the "prom"!

Bemus Spring Fest with the Iron Family

Jax's gymnastics class which he insisted on taking, he loves learning new tricks and is super flexible

End of the year school concert.  Taj and Chase ended up accidently wearing the same shirt!

Jax's awesome art project that was displayed at school

Sometime in the Spring the boys were ready for a change from the usually Weds-Fri after school care, so we were lucky to have them go to their friends' house, and it was way more fun! I felt so bad for them some days because the Y-care made for a very loooong school day (sometimes staying in the same school building for 9 hours!)  Once the sun started shining and the temps were warmer in the afternoon, it was SO good for the boys to play with friends outside at the Plymel's house. 

Memorial Weekend Bemus parade, boating, and BBQ with our friends- the Irons

Spring Break- Xcaret Mexico 2018

We spent Easter 2018 in Mexico!  Back in Mexico for the 2nd time- but this time on the Caribbean side.  We flew down to Cancun, then hired a shuttle to take us to Xcaret eco resort- an all-inclusive south of Playa del Carmen and north of Tulum. It was beeeeeadutiful, tropical, with monkeys swinging from the treetops and iguanas and birds all around.  The water was a crystal clear teal color.  We spent the beginning of Easter Sunday through the end of the week.  We enjoyed eating all day long, having unlimited drinks, swimming in the pools, relaxing on the white sandy beach of their lagoon, exploring the beach, and visiting the Xcaret wildlife eco park where the boys slid down water slides and we swam in underground cenotes!  Boys even got photos taken with exotic animals.  It was like an exotic wildlife resort.  Boys had so much fun and were amazed with the daily monkey sightings- Jax wanted to take one home!  It was a new fun, wild, and wet experience for us all (meeting new friends too!), and everything was superb up until the very last night when mama got food poisoning!  I survived and recovered within hours and just in time for our flight back through Florida.  What a crazy vacation it was!

Easter egg hunt at the resort with the kids club, and the Mexican Easter bunny! 

An afternoon egg hunt in the sand!  That silly bunny left a trail of eggs on the beach!

Swimming in cenotes for the very first time!

The boys tasted Pepsi for the first time in Mexico!

Vacation family dinner nights are the most special!

For Lauderdale, Florida layover, in which we hung out at the boardwalk, beach, and enjoyed a dinner.